Prepare for the Unexpected with Driving Awareness

Sometimes I have a story that lines up with the safe driving principles I teach so well that it’s almost too perfect to be real. Well, this is one of those stories, and it is real. Check out the pictures I have to prove it!

I was involved in a crash, thankfully while alone, in the Safe Driving Coach car. Since this crash was caused by a distracted driver, I thought I’d share more about it this month for National Distracted Driving Awareness Month. Even though I usually give guidance about controlling your own distractions, it’s important to be prepared for other drivers to be distracted. Knowing what to do in an unexpected situation is a key safe driving skill.

Distracted Driving, Even a Few Seconds is Too Long

Here’s a fact that should wake everyone up to the dangers of distracted driving:

At 55mph, looking away from the road for just 3-4 seconds is like driving the length of a football field while blindfolded.

Would you drive down your street with your eyes closed? Of course not! You wouldn’t be able to maintain a straight line, and who knows what might happen in front of the car. Driving is a full-attention task all the time. Not only do you need to pay attention to your surroundings to control your car, but you also need to be aware of what other drivers (or pedestrians, cyclists, animals, etc.) are doing. Safe, aware drivers can reduce the occurrence and severity of incidents involving distracted drivers.

This is why I constantly reinforce the concept that safe drivers are RAD: Responsible, Aware, and Defensive. These three elements of safe driving will help you and your teen driver avoid a multitude of problems on the road.

How to Know if Distracted Driving Was a Factor in a Crash

From the picture of my car’s damage, you can see that I was rear-ended. So, if the driver who ran into me came up from behind, how can I know for certain that distracted driving was at play? I’ll share the details of the scenario so you can see how I came to this conclusion.

As I already mentioned, I was alone in my Safe Driving Coach car at that time. I was about the 4th car in line at a red light, so I was at a complete stop. Out of nowhere, I was crashed into from behind. I didn’t hear screeching brakes before the impact. When we exited our cars to start dealing with the crash, I looked at the road. didn’t see any skid marks. The driver who crashed into my car never tried to stop!

The driver of that car came upon a line of cars at a red light, all with brake lights showing, and never attempted to brake. I should mention that neither the weather nor the position of the sun was an issue. All the evidence points to distracted driving as if the driver was looking at their phone, the radio, or the water bottle in their console. It’s even possible that the driver was trying to be alert and took their eyes off the road to check their mirrors. No matter what prevented the driver from looking in front of the car, the result is that their eyes were pulled away for too long. It’s like they were driving blindfolded across a football field.

Following the crash, I allowed the police who arrived on the scene to handle all the communications. I do know that the at-fault driver received a ticket, but I wasn’t able to discuss the circumstances that led to the crash. I’ll never know with 100% certainty what the other driver was doing, but I do hope that they learned a very important lesson about distracted driving! And I’m especially thankful that no one was seriously hurt.

Safe Driving Skills Protect Teens from Distracted Drivers

As I often tell my driving students, we can only control our own car. We’re all individuals who are responsible for our own driving habits and practices. We can’t force other drivers to pay attention or drive safely, but we can do something about how their choices affect us. 

In the case of my crash, the fact that I stopped with the proper amount of space between my car and the one in front of me prevented a second impact. Here are some other examples:

• Taking a second to look both ways when your traffic light turns green can save you from a crash with a distracted driver blowing through their red light. 

• Pulling over where it is safe to do so, either on the highway or on a local street, when a car behind you is driving too close or erratically can prevent you from getting rear-ended or flustered into making a mistake.

• Resisting the urge to pass a cyclist, mail truck, or garbage truck too closely when you can’t see the road ahead very well, even when the car in front of you just did it, may avoid a crash and protect the cyclist/driver.

• Ignoring the beeping horn behind you to turn right on red when you simply don’t feel like you can see well enough to make the turn can prevent you from turning onto the road in front of a vehicle that has the right of way.

Sometimes, making the safe, aware choice is unpopular with other drivers. But always keep in mind, the goal of driving is to get where you’re going safely. Other drivers might be distracted by their own rush to be somewhere, their phone, or even just their own thoughts. Your defensive driving skills are intended to keep you safe, which often keeps others safe. 

When the unexpected does happen, your awareness and safe driving experience will kick in to help you take the next steps as calmly as possible. You will be able to handle your car to navigate to safety and remain in control of your emotions. Many of my driving students call me after a near miss or a crash to report that because of what they learned in our lessons, they knew exactly what to do even when things were going wrong. Safe, defensive drivers can handle the unexpected!

Be Aware of Driving Distractions and Distracted Drivers

There are far too many opportunities to drive distracted these days. Your car alone has enough bells and whistles to draw your attention off the road. Add to that your beverage, phone, passengers, and mental list, and you may be fighting an uphill battle to keep your mind focused on the task of driving! This month, and every single day, I need you and your teen drivers to remember that when you are driving, it is the only thing worthy of your attention. Safe drivers avoid distractions.

If you think that your own distractions could use some work before you get your teen driver out on the road for lessons, sign up for my course, The Parent’s Survival Guide for New Teen Drivers. We can help you prepare for driving lessons that will ensure your teen becomes a safe, defensive driver. If you want more support teaching your teen these skills, contact us for Driving Lessons. Our coaches are passionate about coaching teens to be lifelong safe drivers.